Makes 16-20
Cookie/ Macaroons:
200 g almonds
200 g powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
2 egg whites
Chocolate Buttercream:
100 g unsalted butter, softened
90 g powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar)
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
To glaze:
100 g dark chocolate
Blanch and peel the almonds. Let it dry, and grind it finely in an almond mill. Mix with the powdered sugar to a grainy mass. Beat the eggwhites (just a little) and mix them with the almonds and sugar to form a smooth paste. Spoon rounded dollops of paste onto baking sheets lined with baking paper. (Use a piping bag if you want them to look neater.)
Bake the cookies at 200°C for about 10 minutes. They should just color slightly. Remove from the oven. Carefully slide the baking paper off the baking sheets, and run cool water over the sheets to cool them down. Place the paper, with the cookies, back on the sheets, and let them cool. They should peel off easily.
Beat all the ingredients for the buttercream until smooth, and then spread this liberally on the completely cool cookies. Spread it on the bottom of the cookie, which is now the new top. Place the cookies in the fridge or even in the freezer for a while, as this makes them much easier to dip in chocolate.
Melt the chocolate and temper it if you want to. Dip the buttercream quickly. This is easiest if you have the chocolate in a small, deep bowl. Set them on a plate to firm up.
Bon Appetit!
